The varicella-zoster (V-Z) virus is responsible for chicken pox and shingles, two common but relatively unimportant human diseases (from the point of view of morbidity and mortality). The V-Z virus is a member of the herpesvirus group and like other human herpesviruses is cell-associated, exhibits latency in vivo and may have oncogenic potential. We propose to examine these characteristics by: 1) Attempting to propagate V-Z in cells with lysosomal enzyme defects and in epithelial cells. 2) Analyzing the characteristics of V-Z DNA using centrifugation, DNA-DNA reassociation and restriction endonuclease analysis. 3) Examining the V-Z replication cycle with DNA-DNA and DNA-RNA hybridization and using competition hybridization to compare cell-associated and non cell-associated systems. 4) Attempting to transform cells with V-Z, V-Z DNA and V-Z DNA encapsidated in herpes simplex protein coats. 5) Probing human dorsal ganglia and tumors for V-Z like DNA sequences by DNA-DNA reassociation kinetics. 6) Attempting to develop an animal model of infection and latency using V-Z and V-Z genomes within herpes simplex capsids. These experiments should help define the unique relationship of the varicella-zoster virus to man.